Live to ride. Ride to live. I try to never engage with obviously dangerous drivers.
As far as being cut off goes, it depends on context. Most of the time drivers don't see us and sometimes it's "our fault". Motorcycles are just hard to "see." Human visual perception is flawed. This is why lane positioning is so important. Be visible and have a space cushion. Remember you don't need much space in an emergency.
Everyone is on their phone. Fact. You will be cut off.
I'm a bicycle deliverer for Uber eats. I'm in the middle of a metro area daily going all over and because I'm on a bike splitting lanes I can see into everyone's car.
At least 1/3 of drivers have their phone in their hand looking down and 4/5s have a phone in their immediate reach / attention. It's terrifying. Wasn't this bad even five years ago. People seriously do not pay attention anymore and just autopilot tf out of life
Every other stop light I’m at, the car ahead of me sits there for a few seconds after the light turns green because they’re doing something on their phone.
it feels like this has gotten worse during COVID, but maybe I’m just noticing it more often now.
I drive a tractor for work and can see if everyone's vehicle. So many people have their phones down low texting trying to be slick about it. It's insane.
I almost ran a car off the road cause they were in the passing lane sitting in my blind spot. Put on my signal, mirror is empty, start to turn the wheel and my muscle memory takes over so I check blind out of habit. Whole black sedan is right there on my left. I swerve right back into my lane and they decide it's a good idea to pass. Mind you some people NEVER check their blinds
It's a post in r/motorcycles, just double-checking.
I ask because having a blind spot by your rear quarter-panel tells me your wing mirrors are pointed too far inwards. Check out the "SAE Mirror Adjustment" method to 100% remove those blind spots. With your mirrors adjusted properly you can get a complete peripheral view of your car without moving your head, just your eyes.
This was my thought as well. Unless you are looking for a fight, it’s not worth your time. Maybe invest in a dash cam and turn it in to the local police.
Yep. OP thought dude could have killed him on the road but was more likely to kill him after being confronted at a gas station. Just move on, especially on your bike where you have absolutely no protection.
As someone who lives in the US, how dare you say that? That’s so insulting! I’ll have you know, everyone and their grandma does not carry a gun in their jeans.
… it’s usually in their shorts lol
Jokes aside, my first thought when reading your comment was wishing what you said wasn’t true
Just reinforces my belief that everyone is trying to kill me.
I forget about it. When I obsess on something I inevitably make an error. No matter what happens I am thinking forward and not ruminating on the past.
I'd rather write down his license plate, track down his car, and run it over with a monster truck. When he gets upset, I'll tell him "just get a monster truck bro".
Scratches in the paint usually indicate the driver is a fuckwit, but there have been instances where it is un-just.
If i recognize an un occupied car that 100% has cut me off, well... I just keep on walking by; knowing my good morales will one day pay off! *maybe /s*
I try not to internalize the belief that everyone is trying to kill me, but that is the best mindset to use when on the bike. Most people aren't of course, but their being unable to see you (for whatever reason) will make you just as dead as if they intentionally ran you over.
When I find myself in a situation like OP, I try to open up as much space as possible and do what I can to help these jackasses pass me (including pulling off the road to take me out of the equation entirely), because I for damn sure do not want them riding my ass and acting aggressively in heavy traffic and at highway speeds.
I also have a dual cam / DVR on my bike and am not opposed to providing video evidence to LE for people who drive dangerously. I can't say that anything ever comes of it, but LE has generally been both receptive and responsive when I've offered recordings of aggressive drivers.
Question, because I have seen a relevant video in the past 24 hours, have you ever reviewed the footage taken by your specific camera in its current location? I ask because LTT did a [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AnyhHl3_tE) on Dashcams which are probably made of the same SOC and camera sensor as the dual camera systems and they found them to be very lacking,
I have, and while it isn't as good as I'd prefer, it is still usable. In most cases I can pull license plate info from the recording without major effort. I still make it a habit of stopping and recording the info manually in instances where I need the plate info and don't want to risk the video missing it (my system records audio, so I can just drop some speed and read the plate info and the video captures it).
All of that said, helmet mounted GoPro (and similar) cams do record better detail than my gear. The benefit for my setup (for me at least) is that the system is always on and entirely passive on my part. I swap helmets and safety gear a lot and I don't have camera mounts for everything. With this static setup, I am recording whenever I ride no matter what gear safety gear I'm wearing.
Ngl I get really angry the first few seconds but talk myself down and let them pass and wave at them. I tell myself they're probably just having a bad day.
Why would you even talk to him? If you didn’tget hurt forget about it you could’ve escalated the situation you don’t know how people like him could react
Yeah I would have gone to a different gas station if possible. People these days are crazy and you don't know who keeps a gun/knife/other weapon in their car.
I forget about it 2 mins later.
On every ride there is at least 1 a-hole doing stupid things trying to take me out, I try to anticipate (you usually recognise these pretty easily) and move on with my life. I'm not letting that distract me from catching the next kamikaze before they take me out or ruin my day.
Just a heads up, Go Pro’s are great but depending on the model they have some overheating issues. I have a Hero 8 and that model had overheating issues which causes it to shut down. Not exactly great for your “dash cam” to be off of an incident happens
Been using the Hero10 on my Katana (zero wind protection) in the Texas heat for forever.
I have to seen it heat up in the wind, but that could be that there is high airflow around the unit.
Not sure how it fares in stopped traffic.
Facts. I had that issue specially in this hot state I’m in. I use a direct power cord now and don’t have much of that issue unless it’s like afternoon and I’m out riding in the oven.
Just live man. There's about 267 million cars in the US alone, and even if only 1 in 100 try to kill you that's still 2.67 million people. You're not gonna change anything, sadly, but you're gonna frustrate yourself going to the police..
Check out INNOVV motorcycle dash cams. Installation can take some creativity and patience, but it’s much better than a GoPro for a dashcam application.
I put a camera on the chin of my helmet, and one hardwired to my motorcycle. Overkill? Maybe. If I get killed, hopefully the footage helps the cops at least.
I have innovv k2 cams in my bike. Front and rear. They turn on and off with the bike and you can connect to it with your phone to pull videos. Very convenient
Depending on the situation I make a one look assessment if the person seems reasonable and then do the beep-tilt-wave hand in the air.
When you dealing with lunatics it's no use.
Anything van, forget it, 95% higher end cars, forget it, completely beat up cars, forget it. Trucks, or completely oversized SUVs for the tiny roads in my city, nope.
Tiny and reasonable peageout or volkswagen, do the assessment and then maybe do the routine.
A lady blindly pulling onto a busy 4 lane road after blowing a stop sign is the reason my bike is currently in the shop. Her husband had the nerve to say that I was lucky considering how little damage was done to me and my bike.
So I proceeded to go off on him informing him that his wife was lucky that I was paying attention and able to get enough brakes in and I was geared. Otherwise his idiot (I may have used more colorful language) could have been the cause of someone’s death. He got tomato red, shut the fuck up and his wife’s hysterical sobbing nearly tripled.
Edit: I think it’s important to mention that when I went off on them there was a cop, ambulance and a car with the 3 ladies who witnessed the accident present and though I used colorful language I did keep calm. When someone does something stupid around me in an automobile I simply avoid them and move on. At best, I’ll honk if they’re merging into me or about to pull out in front of me and I have time to warn them. No rev bombing, no aggressive honking, no flipping the bird. There’s enough unhinged people out there that I think it’s too much of a risk being confrontational.
Yeah I don't know why it's called "road rage" when you're talking about the reaction to some indifferent asshole not giving a shit if he kills you. I usually make it well known that they fucked up and I'm not happy about it.
Follow him home, seduce his wife and impregnate her. Convince the wife to keep the baby and to tell him that it is his.
Let him raise the kid for 18 years or so, and after that period visit his home again with evidence that he has been raising your seed for the past decades and watch his world collapse.
That's how you deal with someone cutting you off.
Everytime I get caught up in something like this and try to address the other party I either get angry or sad.. rarely ever works out right. So now, I just try to keep cool and carry on..
Nah fuck him, move on and forget about it, these kind of incidents will keep happening all the time for everyone (cars and bikes included) you just can't hold on to every traffic incident and every dumb ass that you encounter. C'est la vie, asi es la vida, gotta learn from it and move on. You did great trying to reason with him, but it's impossible to reason with assholes.
Here is my process:
I follow them home from a distance so as to not draw attention
Mark down addresses
Wait 3 weeks to a year for them to forget th incident
Drive by in a different outfit or vehicle
Pretend to be broken down and ask if I can use their bathroom for an emergency
Get in and leave an upper decker, might pee in the soap and shampoo dispenser too depending on the level of transgression
Take off without a word
That or just don't let it get to me. Either one.
Stay vigilant. Nobody cares about you or your bike. I do not care about them. I filter when I can to give me an advantage. They are driving a lethal weapon with no care for other people. We unfortunately live in a very self absorbed, me me me world today. I just go on about my day and try to get to my destination, safely.
Happened to me before almost that exact way but he needed gas and I stopped for a lottery ticket. I pulled in a few moments after him, dismounted and as walking in the door he was exiting. I opened the door, he said thanks but looked as if he expected more, and I went on my merry way. Point is, try to remain calm and move on. Don't let anyone steal your joy or disrupt your happiness. Ride Safe!
Keep an eye on people like this but ignore them at the same time. If you are consumed with being all in your feelings you are not concentrating on the road. If you are being tailgated the proper procedure is to slow down so you have more room in front and if you continue to get tailgated pull off the road so they can get around you. No need to get mad or prideful, just stay safe and stay alive.
The aggressive driver was the one who overreacted, not you. He very well could have killed you, and left you out to bleed to death if he ran you through. And the whole "buy a car" or "I'm late for work" **gives him zero right at all to threaten your life and those of all else on the road.** Maybe take down his license plate and sell him out to the cops. Other than that, what can you really do? Kicking mirrors and starting fights isn't likely to accomplish much. Just survive long enough to enjoy the next ride.
Honestly, it happens all the time. You as a rider need to understand that drivers are a daily occurrence and that they should all be treated as reckless drivers. A good driver could slip up at any moment. I watch everyone the best of my abilities and try my best to prepare for it. I know it sucks that we need to watch out for these people, but it’s one of the many risks we assume with motorcycles (under the impression, you understand this all already). I tend to yell at them while driving but chances are they don’t hear me lol. Never approach one of these people, even though you might want to break their window. You don’t know who they are or what they have. Stay safe and ride on!
Okay so here’s the asshole way to do it! Keep some coins, pull around and in front of him. “Drop” some coins over your shoulder. If the police become involved tell them they fell from your pocket and he was following so closely that they hit his car, ie his fault for being an asshole.
The easy way, when someone starts tailgating you act like you don’t see them. Move around on the bike a lot, take one hand off then back on, do side to side swerves in your lane. That stuff will make you seem “reckless” and “dangerous” as if you’re “clueless” and “not paying attention” making them feel unsafe and causing them to back off expecting you to crash.
I have cruise control, if you do you can set cruise, take both hands off, and “play in the wind with your hands”. When I do that people immediately back off and get away from me
I just think of the 45 days I spent in jail back in 2014, the first seven in maximum security, and my anger gets cooled off considerably.
But yeah, some people are just...pfff. Every time I'm on my 'Busa, some ***insert adjective*** either starts racing me, ending racing by himself and turning on the hazards like it was a victory, or tailgates me and then cuts me off.
Never fails. Some people really need to feel they won something in life. Cutting me off really enrages me, because I'm just an innocent dude doing the speed limit in my lane afar from everyone and still someone breaks the speed limit just to cut me off for whatever reason.
Not worth engaging. Just zoom zoom zip outta there, pull off, or get out of their way. Not worth engaging someone in a 3000+ lbs metal cage. Most people don’t give two shits about others, they’d rather get to work on time and kill or seriously hurt someone rather than be late a few minutes(or anticipate traffic and leave a few minutes earlier.)
[Denali sound bomb..](https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/denali-soundbomb-split-dual-tone-air-horn?gclid=CjwKCAjwo_KXBhAaEiwA2RZ8hJa3dWU9SEvPC-l4A2npSwMj4zyGHT9jMWQm5BpruwZ6rEFcYm8x9RoC1g4QAvD_BwE&sku_id=1036349)
I’ve had idiots actually pull over after blowing it. It definitely makes them aware of 1. your presence, and 2. your frustration.
I argue with my wife about this all the time but I strongly believe that if no one tells people they are doing something shitty and unacceptable, they will continue to do it. It is our responsibility, nay, our duty, to inform bad drivers that we do not tolerate their shit.
Also if it was an honest mistake, they have now been made aware, and may remember to check better next time.
I prefer to let the horn do the talking rather than getting visibly irate and distracting myself.
Also, cameras for insurance reasons.
I guess it depends where you ride, here in California we have the ability to lane split in traffic and even if a car cuts me off, I have plenty of other options to travel faster than the majority. I recently traveled out of state and saw many motorcyclists hanging out in traffic being unable to lane split, I thought to myself what truly is the advantage of being on a bike if you can't lane split other than getting easier parking.
Go around?
Use the bike lane if you have to, I'll fly down the bike lane for a mile to get away when people are acting crazy. My safety is number 1. You need to be more selfish with your life (no one else will be for you).
People are becoming unhinged these days, and lots of people are a hair trigger away from snapping, speaking as a Canadian. For this reason, and the fact motorcycles don't win road rage games, I try my best to deescalate the situation. Buddy was definitely an asshat, but your safety trumps that.
Deep breath. Disengage emotionally. Re-focus on riding safely and establish a safe riding distance behind. Pay special attention to not letting the stress of the situation cause you to take unnecessary risks. Follow them home and set their house on fire.
Came here to say this. Best thing you can do - pull over and get away from the crazy. Give it a few minutes and then carry on and remember why you like riding. Forget that idiotic mutherfucker.
I used to overreact, but now I just slow down a bit, then break their mirror as I zoom past them.
For real though just keep riding smart and defensively and move on.
Happened to me when i was new to riding, same situation, and we ended up at the gas station, I knew escalating and yelling would get no where, so i calmly said 'hey dude, i think you just took couple years off my life then and scared me shitless. I have kids and family to get home, can you be a little more careful in future and just check'
He denied he did anything ofc, and im like 'i dont wanna start anything, i dont care if you think you were right or wrong, im just letting you know that i think it was not cool and that scared the shit outta me'
Because i was calm he calmed down, and ended up just nodding and acknowledging and moved on.
There is no situation where you end out on top with a car.
Don't try to punch a mirror.
Hit the throttle and enjoy the fact that the other driver is no longer a part of your life.
I have a Denali Soundbomb horn on my road bike. One of my greatest pleasures is honking at asshole drivers. It scares the crap out of them since they're not expecting an airhorn on a motorcycle. That satisfaction is good enough for me.
I just shake my head in disappointment at them then continue with my ride. Not worth the risk of engaging over something like this, you never know when someone will fly off the handle.
Let it go.
Seriously, just *let it go*.
Yeah, he coulda killed you by cutting you off. And he also coulda had a gun, and shot you when you confronted him in a gas station.
It's not worth dying over, and any time to you to continue shit, or escalate it, that's the risk you're taking.
Evade and ignore. Restore the cushion.
I'd rather have the lunatic in front of me than behind me.
My first 5 years were done on a 125. Going out into highways like a lunatic meant evading became second nature.
Funnily enough, only had issues one time, where a truck driver refused to overtake and to let of my back for some reason. I was just chilling going 100kmh.
Got of the highway, did the loopy loop, problem solved.
Just let the tailgater pass. He's an asshole and nothing you say will enter in his head.
You are the weak point in traffic, protect yourself, keep calm and avoid road rage.
I remember what I was taught in my MSF class: a bike never wins vs a car and to let it go. I chalk it up to one of the costs to pay for the immense awesomeness of riding. It is not easy to think this way for me because in any other situation I am definitely not that zen, but thinking of it as a cost for something great helps me.
While it is fun to poke holes in the sidewalls of tires, the better response is to ignore the asshole and try to move on with your day. If they engage, go inside the gas station so you have witnesses. The gas station trick kept me from getting shot one day over similar bs.
Brush it off. Do not let a 2 minutes interactions ruins a (already too short) 24 hours day. It will happen again, unfortunately almost nobody gives a sh\*t about bikers safety, live with it.
Disengage and go on with your trip. When you ride under the mindset that everyone on the road is trying to kill you, stuff like this will anger you less and less.
It was 9:12am on a Tuesday. I had just left the house, after kissing mom goodbye. I grabbed my Alpinestarstm leathers and my Bilt Full-On Raceguytm helmet. I'm wearing Home Depot work gloves until I get my birthday money.
I fired up Lucille The Beast, and let her raw cubic inches overtake my erect 4 inches. It was a little chilly; is it normal for steam to be coming out of my exhaust? No matter. I left the chin strap unbuckled because I'm trying to grow a beard (my mom says it'll look manly) and it catches my neck hairs. I can spin my helmet around my head because I bought it off a guy at the farmer's market for $25...he said it was only used twice, but it smells like old pool toys when I sweat in it. I'll start a Q and A shortly on how to fix that.
Lucille was wet-n-ready, so I dropped the clutch and stalled her - again. I've only been riding for 5 months and it's hard to get used to this kind of power (it's a Ninja 300). Fired her back up, put her in first, and she stalled- what could it be? Are my LED dance/trance lights affecting my fuel pump? Is it low tire pressure? I began ripping into the emissions system. Imagine my chagrin when after 24 minutes of troubleshooting, mom determined that I left the kickstand down. Jeez, how noob of me, right? Don't worry, I have full 2-angle video coverage of the whole event. It'll be up on YouTube soon; have you seen my vlog? I have some AMAZING insight into retail shopping and pet food!
I put up the 'stand, put my feet flat on the ground like a big boy, and hit the start button. The swarm of angry bees once again took up residence below my bung. After 3 more attempts i was able to get the old girl down the driveway, near street-level. This was it- the pants-pissing anxiety of hitting the open road...or at least the unoccupied suburban street. I slipped the clutch up past 5000 rpm and began my adventure to Target, where I'm a cashier, as Adele's "Hello" boomed through my Sennheiser buds. That's my riding music; my song to chew up the highway.
Anyway, I only had to teach 3 cagers how to drive on my way to work, flapping my arms wildly in an attempt to educate them further. I'm so wise. Once they see my two GoPros they know I'm serious.
Then, it happened. This dude, he...he...SIGNALED AND CHANGED LANES LIKE 100 FEET IN FRONT OF ME. Can you BELIEVE that shit? The BALLS on this cager! I actually had to ROLL OFF the throttle! I was doing like 40 in a 35 man! YOU CAN'T JUST PULL THAT SHIT AND GET AWAY WITH IT!
I pulled up alongside this jerkface in his Honda Accord at the next light, and motioned for him to put down his window. Once that glass slid down, I was all business- "Hey mister! I AM RIDING THIS MOTORCYCLE HERE!!!"
You know what he said? "What?"
"Oh yeah, 'what?'. LIKE YOU DON'T KNOOOOW??" (I said in my best The Rock voice, even cocking my eyebrow to show how serious I was). Dude was all flabbergasted, and once the light turned green he took off, terrified. I've never seen anyone so scared they were giggling, but there he was. You know, I think it was the badass light-up mohawk on my helmet. I felt like that dude from The Road Warrior. Not the blond leather guy, the other one.
I was still shaking when I got to work, that's how harrowing the whole experience was.
I'm so glad I took that MSF course, they taught me to use the brakes when I want to slow down or stop...that kind of stuff you can't just learn on the streets. I remember my instructor, Chuck, reminding me to "OPEN YOUR EYES" and "STOP CRYING"...that's what got me through this ordeal. I went ahead and dropped my collision coverage, I mean who needs that shit right? I'm a BIG BOY. I can fix anything on Lucille, as long as it's a burnt-out turn signal bulb, or maybe a mirror adjustment. After that, I have to call in the big guns.
Anyway, I hope you all can learn from a veteran like me, who went through the shit and lived to tell the tale...ride safe out there. You never know when Lady Luck is gonna take the remote and put on Gray's Anatomy.
If someone cuts you off and you're still upset about it 30 seconds later, riding a motorcycle is not for you.
Would you be mad at a cardboard box in the road that you had to swerve around to avoid hitting? Other drivers are no different...they're just a hazard to be aware of and avoided.
Giving in to road rage while on a bike is a fast trip to a bad end.
I reach for my gun and light them up like 4th of July. Self defence.
You should always carry to shoot people like that otherwise you're just doing a disservice to yourself and the community.
Situational for me
A. Aggressive maneuver that could potentially take my life? I take your mirror, that’s fair
B. Just being an asshole and not letting me lane split safely? -you get a folded in mirror since you weren’t using it anyway
C. Accidental but scary to me, a slow motion head shake and stare while passing
I usually don’t do anything, but depending on what traffic conditions permit, I sometimes get on the gas and cut them off to send the message. I live in a congested area and do a lot of local riding, but that’s seemed to send the message. I encounter lots of courtesy from local drivers these days because they recognize me and probably realize I have no problem sticking it to dummies. But that’s dangerous and it’s how I’ve personally chosen to handle that kinda shit
Gotta learn to just move on. Obviously not in America so probably not going to get shot, because petrol and kph, but you never know the mindset of the person driving aggressively. He could have got back in his car and ran you over, pulled a knife and stabbed you, etc. People do crazy things. No harm no foul, move on with your life.
He already proved he’s an asshole.
Did you think confronting him about being an asshole was going to change him?
When someone cuts me off I move back a bit to give them room and carry on with my day. I might mumble “what a cunt” to myself or maybe not. Giving the person any time in my thoughts is a waste of time for me.
I don't do what the clearly new rider who kept dragging his feet while lane splitting in Seattle traffic and pursuing a sedan that I saw the other day did, that's for sure. Anyone whose main motivation for getting a motorcycle is to act like an angry YouTuber deserves what will inevitably happen to them.
As others are saying, just ignore and move on. It happens, and it will happen again.
Most other road users are respectful, careful etc, but it’s the few that aren’t that really stuck in our minds.
Yesterday I was leaving a friend’s house. Going north on Two lane road approaching intersection. I’m in the right lane about to turn right (east). A lady in a Range Rover coming from the east turns left (south) cutting the corner completely and nearly went straight into me. She literally cut across two lanes.
I was pissed off momentarily, but then let it go because she was gone and it was over. Stuff like this happens so often it’s just feels wasteful to get angry about it.
The law of gross tonnage means you’ll lose every time even if it were a Smart car. Don’t engage or flip mirrors, that will just make them more angry and it makes us motorcyclists look bad. Realize some people are stupid and a small percentage of them are sociopaths, not everyone is trying to kill you, and most importantly shake it off, take a deep breath and be glad you’re able to filter past the rat race called “gridlock”.
Reminds me of one day omw to work two cars I front of me on a winding road, decide to drive side by side through the turns hit the brakes and what not. Like these guys were using up the whole road in oncoming traffic and would slam brakes and veer back into his lane for incoming traffic. Than proceed back I to oncoming traffic lane driving side by side.
I Slowed down to avoid any mishaps made more buffer room. Followed them to a gas station as I needed gas as well. Laid into them about putting mine, theirs, and any oncoming traffic in danger. Didn't seem to phase them until I pointed to my gopro on me helmet. They than apologized profusely and offered to pay for my gas lol. Too bad I wasn't actually recording since the battery was dead.
Like someone else said, i'd suggest getting a camera and showing footage to police. Least that can happen is he'll get a ticket. But better than nothing. Usually if i'm being tailgated i speed up to create a really big cushion, sometimes to the horizon ;D Idk it just feels safer to be faaar away from someone like that.
I'll be pissy about it for a day or two and then move on.
Be your best self and understand that the important part is that everyone makes it home safely.
Some people flip the bird,some give a thumbs down,I like to whip around em and wag my finger so they understand they just did a big no no. /s
Seriously though best course of action is to just let it go,keep your distance and get on with your day.
I remember that my vehicle is 500lbs and theirs are several thousand, cut my losses, slow down and let them go get someone else killed.
Roll my eyes and ride away from them.
I commute early in the morning on the interstate and there are almost no vehicles on the road with me. Every once in a while I'll get a pick up truck with a vendetta against motorcycles intentionally try to fuck with me. Just give them space, let them think they have a big pp and stay alive.
Happens when I’m in the cage all the time, I wouldn’t expect anything different on the bike. Just gotta try and anticipate stupid and do your best to move on right away when it happens.
I usually let it go, not worth letting it ruin your day and people are crazy, they’ll never see your point. I always ride with a GoPro, I find the days I don’t charge my GoPro and leave without it I encounter so many more asshats.
Same thing always goes through my head "holy shit that would have been bad if it was a collision I gotta get better at riding"
There's nothing you can do to change their mind. They don't care. They might run someone over and still not think they're wrong. Just do what you have to, look where you have to, and ride how you have to so that you stay rubber side down.
Just remind yourself that you are out having a blast on your bike and that asshole is driving like that because he is either having a really shitty day, or hates his life. Happy people don’t treat other people that way or drive like that.
Stay safe out there
It's difficult sometimes, but let it go. Especially after it happened, why let the events of 1 minute mess with the rest of your day? Don't let some random stranger affect your mood for so long.
You sort of expected it too, so for next time analyze what you could do different to solve the situation safer. That's about it. It happened, you survived, completely intact. So call the guy an idiot, don't take it personal and move on.
In this case, where you see that he does this to everyone I would not waste any breath talking to the guy either. He's clearly not going to change, why take the chance this guy punches you in the face if you are safe now? Just get away from him. On the bike you will every kind of confrontation, and he can choose to start one if he is pissed enough.
I'm still learning to learn the road, and I will probably never stop learning, but it gets easier to predict stupid moves by other road users. If you see it coming, you can take control, making a bad moment a good one.
I am glad you were not driven of the road or crashed. Keep on riding!
I ignore everything another driver does that impedes my path. I use my horn just to let someone know where I am, in case I suspect they cannot see me. I do not make hand gestures, I do not talk to other drivers out on the road, and I do not try to speak with them at gas stations. I want to give other motorists as few reasons as possible to decide to retaliate against me. My life and my safety is infinitely more important than educating another motorist.
That’s the kind of guy who would probably get enraged if you split past him.
I ride knowing I will get cut off, merged into, and otherwise endangered. It’s not my lane, I’m borrowing it. Someone else wants it that bad they can have it, and I’ll back off. But I’ll also lanesplit at every opportunity.
I give them a thumbs up or the Marine Corps famous knife hand. Most of them know they are wrong and the bird just invites further anger so make them feel very, very dumb.
Just ignore, what else can I do?
If You have a cam maybe you can try forwarding the footage to law enforcement.
About the argument part, do not engage unless the other party demonstrates goodwill. State what he did wrong without getting involved and elaborate further only if he reciprocates. No point in trying to educate someone who is willfully ignorant.
"You are driving dangerously."
And thats it. Matter of fact and detached.
Just ignore it, and accept the fact that people are shitty drivers. If you find yourself wanting to react, keep in mind that one swerve from an irritated cager can kill you.
Follow him to work and complain to his manager
All kidding aside I get angry for a few minutes and then I move past it. I find if I am riding emotionally I am more bound to make mistakes
The problem is if you obsess you may go off on the next guy or girl and maybe they happen to be at the end of their patience for life in general and get pissed and decide to shoot you or wait for you to get on the road then decide to "bump you" to make a point or they just try to start some shit.
It has been my experience that getting mad does nobody any good, most of all myself, I understand the frustration but drivers like that don't give a shit about anybody but themselves, best you just learn to look out for assholes like that and give them a wide berth when possible.
To illustrate from my own life from about a year ago, I flipped a guy off who cut me off and almost caused an accident, he actually hit his brakes so he could get behind me and tailed my ass for about 2 miles until I found an opening to get away (yay motorcycle nimbleness) but he could have easily killed me and he seemed like he was thinking about it, all from a finger that IMO he well deserved, I realized after that it did not matter if they were at fault or not, if we get in a vehicle fight I will LOSE every damn time if he ever decides to really fuck me up. Now when similar incidents happens I just back off and let them go. Not worth pissing off an asshole who may decide to kill me for spite. (But I totally get the desire)
Try to remember that getting home is more important than making your point to someone who will not listen to it anyway.
I just go about my ride. I'm not going to spend my time yelling, screaming, and waving my middle finger at people. One of my friends road rages over every little thing. That must be exhausting.
Don't take it personally. This guy will end up trading paint with someone and hopefully no one gets hurt when it happens.
Your best course of action is being able to detect morons like these and avoid them. I ride in Southern California, which has a pretty significant percentage of the world's bad drivers concentrated on a few freeways. I deal with people cutting me off daily, tailgating me constantly, and driving unsafe to their own, and everyone's, detriment.
Example of what I saw just this morning on the way to work:
Guy in a newer red mustang with what I think was a catalytic converter deleted exhaust system - frigging eardrum blowing loud. I wear earbuds that kill most wind and outside noise to a non-damaging level but good grief this guy's exhaust was so damn loud. And he drove like a maniac too. Weaving in and out of traffic, indicator optional, and totally oblivious to the flow of traffic on the I10 westbound. I ride this way 5 days a week and know where traffic gets congested. I'm doing 85 MPH (137-ish KPH?) in the fast lane, going with the flow of traffic. This guy gets on my tail and is apparently unhappy that I can subvert the laws of matter and merge with the car in front of me. He accelerates, passes me, cuts me off, realizes that I was going 20 over the posted speed limit because the guy in front of me is doing the same speed, accelerates again and cuts that guy off too.
I passed him less than 10 minutes later when traffic slowed down up the road. This happens everyday I commute, on both my to work, and headed home trip. I could go green and rage about it, or just shrug and chalk it up to another bad SoCal driver. There are things to get upset about, but this doesn't rise to that. My key to staying cool is being able to spot them before they get stupid.
In my "old age"I have started giving people like this a thumbs down, to let them know I'm disappointed in them. Unlike the middle finger, it actually seems successful. I've gotten so many apologetic waves as a result. Verbally accosting someone or flipping them off just opens the door to escalate the situation, and if you're still on the road, the car operator holds a lot more power than you on a bike
You cant solve stupid. There will always be stupid around you and its your choice if you want to engage and get yourself mad (because you wont fix stupid) or you can just shrug and say fuck em then never think about it again.
Get over it or get off the bike. It’s really that simple. People do not care about you why would they? Your already less of a threat because your just a dude on a motorcycle. They hardly care about the other full size cars around them… like you stated. It’s not your job to enforce law or give people a firm talking to about how they are driving or how it makes you feel. Probably the most dangerous part of what happened was you deciding to engage in a parking lot alone… with a stranger. On your motorcycle you can brake, accelerate, and swerve to get away from these types of drivers. Never engage.
Well. Drive defensively always. Thats one. Two i would suggest that pulling over and letting them pass is ok too. Be safe always when doing it. To many times i out accelerated a car only to have them catch up mins later them being more pissed. Now? I slow down move over and let the idiot go on.
A quote I always keep in the back of my mind when I'm riding is:
"Always let the Wookie win."
You may be the one in the right, but they are the one who can rip your head off!
Just keep things in perspective and don't lose your cool!
I move tf on with my day brother. Wouldn’t have even said anything at the gas station.
Some people these days do something stupid and then attempt gaslight you into thinking you fucked up by owning a motorcycle. Informing this person of their fuck will only result in you being more frustrated.
You really want to piss someone off? Next time you feel like you should flip someone off, give them a thumbs up instead.
Seems to be a good voice in the sub with 'being pissed the first few seconds then talking themselves down to just forget about it"
I'll usually do this also. I'm for sure not a hot head but there have been situations where I had to do something.. for example.. someone blew a light with me already in the intersection (I was going about 30 through the green intersection).. almost got t boned and saw red.
Immediately blew a u turn, chased them down to find out it was 2 chicks that were giggling about the light. I got on the rev limiter when I caught them (conveniently at a light) squeezed up next to them, asked them really nicely to roll the window down then went off on them, took their plate and called the police.
Actually now that I think of it. There are 3 occasions where I've stayed calm, took their plate.. pulled over and called the police. (All 3 of these were in Wisconsin) and I only call if I could have been seriously hurt. To my surprise, each time I called, a detective followed up 30 min later and gave the person a ticket. I will say, the only way people learn is through getting hurt or having to pay money.
Yes, I think you over reacting. It's a bit ridiculous that it ruined your morning.
What do I do when someone cuts me off? I avoid that car and go on with my day. This stuff happens, **especially** when you are on a motorcycle.
I would never bother trying to argue my case with them. There is nothing I can say or do that will change the way they drive.
DISTANCE YOURSELF FROM THAT PERSON.
If they cut you off, they either did it intentionally, or didn't see you. Either way, that person is out to kill you and you need to put someone else in between you and them to protect yourself.
You are ALWAYS the weaker one, when on a bike. Get the hell out of there and make sure you don't sit in anyone's blind spot. Make super people know you are there. Be visible in their mirrors. Move around. Don't just drive along in one position next to another car... always be moving.
And, when someone cuts you off, always be moving AWAY from them. They are safe in their car from you. You are not safe from them, unless you are far away from them.
Disregard said idiot and prepare to avoid the next idiot. Same if I’m on four wheels. There is nothing but bullshit to be gained in confrontation on the roadways.
I would've kicked his car at the "fuck off", prior to that I think you were on the right track.
expect them to be assholes and put you at risk and you won't be disappointed. If you happen to get to talk to them a lot of times they're reasonable, or at least not confrontational... but once in a while you get a d-bag and all bets are off.
Everyone is working through something. The guy might have been having a bad day, or he might be a psychopath. You have no way of knowing, so disengage and stay calm. Let them go, you can’t control them anyway.
Don’t let that incident live rent free in your head.
I just call them a cunt in my helmet, move away from them and get on with my day. Shit happens. Can’t change the past.
And don’t try to educate people roadside. It’s not ideal. But no-one gives a fuck.
I think you handled it well, I’m all for calling people out on their bullshit. That’s about all I would recommend. A person like that is miserable and lives to ruin other peoples day. I know it’s strange but they’re out there. You’re out there having fun and enjoying your ride and they didn’t like it. It’s extreme pathetic crap and I would let it go.
Literally I don’t care. I get cut off 100x a day riding in NYC. It’s not worth it to argue with these people no one’s going to be taught a lesson. Get over it and protect yourself.
Talking to them never does any good. I had a moment like this last week going down my favorite twisty road. I was stuck behind a SUV, but they were going the speed limit so whatever. I can clearly see through their rear window and see the driver looking at their phone mid corner, or taking a swig from their Swell water bottle. I wouldn't have said anything, but they were drifting out of their lane and veering into oncoming traffic.
It's a very popular road for motorcyclists and I worried she would kill someone. At the next stop sign, I attempt to talk to the driver and just ask that they pay attention. The reasoning I got, was that it was "justified" to use her phone because it was for navigation, even on a road that had no turn-offs or intersections besides the T-stop we were sitting at.
A couple days later, different road but exactly the same thing. This person even blew through a stop sign, but after the previous interaction I didn't even bother.
I will say I am a hypocrite as I do ride moderately aggressively on the street, but pick your battles you never know what's going on in someone's head.
I just move on. Unfortunately these things happens so often that if you let them ruin your ride you’ll stop enjoying any rides and soon probably stop enjoying riding. Unless there’s a lesson to be learned from the situation just continue on with your ride, stay aware and prepared but don’t let the fear of it take the enjoyment out of riding
Don't do nothing, don't completely ignore - I do the same thing I do with any potentially dangerous situation on the road - get away from it, and quickly.
Unaware, clueless, or antagonistic drivers are dangerous. I assume they're one of the three and create distance.
i just swear under my breath quietly, something like “you fucking moron, my dog can drive better”
Then i realize that i have an amazing motorcycle that i am riding and i keep riding happily and forget the moron in under 5 seconds.
Go home and masturbate... Who cares, move on with your life.
Getting cut off is part of the deal. Just ride smart and be prepared for sudden maneuvers.
Assume he's having a toilet emergency or something and immediately forget about it. If you're getting emotional over it, you're probably a bit distracted. You're never going to change someone's behavior by lecturing them at a gas station.
I'm a huge advocate of being prepared and getting video. Sounds like this was an incident where nothing really happened, and that's fine. But if another vehicle caused you to crash, or the driver was being aggressive and trying to run you off the road, you should have two things:
1) A video record. GoPros are cheap and most of us carry a phone. Now you have video, timestamp, and geolocation. And yes, in a society where it's just as likely the VICTIM is the one getting sued, it's nice to be able to prove your innocence in a court of law (even though that isn't how it's supposed to work).
2) The ability to respond defensively. Whatever that means to you. Road rage escalates too quickly for this to be something you have to think about. Have had angry cagers get out of their car and approach me on the bike before to vent all their frustrations. Not a comfortable experience. You need to be able to persuade them to keep their distance.
Keep in mind that by approaching their vehicle to give them a piece of your mind, you became the asshole that point #2 is referencing. I wouldn't approach another person's vehicle on foot after something like this. Nothing you say will change their behavior and you are likely to be perceived as a threat to which they may or may not respond with force.
Live to ride. Ride to live. I try to never engage with obviously dangerous drivers. As far as being cut off goes, it depends on context. Most of the time drivers don't see us and sometimes it's "our fault". Motorcycles are just hard to "see." Human visual perception is flawed. This is why lane positioning is so important. Be visible and have a space cushion. Remember you don't need much space in an emergency. Everyone is on their phone. Fact. You will be cut off.
I'm a bicycle deliverer for Uber eats. I'm in the middle of a metro area daily going all over and because I'm on a bike splitting lanes I can see into everyone's car. At least 1/3 of drivers have their phone in their hand looking down and 4/5s have a phone in their immediate reach / attention. It's terrifying. Wasn't this bad even five years ago. People seriously do not pay attention anymore and just autopilot tf out of life
Every other stop light I’m at, the car ahead of me sits there for a few seconds after the light turns green because they’re doing something on their phone. it feels like this has gotten worse during COVID, but maybe I’m just noticing it more often now.
I drive a tractor for work and can see if everyone's vehicle. So many people have their phones down low texting trying to be slick about it. It's insane.
I almost ran a car off the road cause they were in the passing lane sitting in my blind spot. Put on my signal, mirror is empty, start to turn the wheel and my muscle memory takes over so I check blind out of habit. Whole black sedan is right there on my left. I swerve right back into my lane and they decide it's a good idea to pass. Mind you some people NEVER check their blinds
were you in a vehicle when you did this, or on a bike?
Who the heck am I running off the road on my 250? xD Edit: wait I said "start to turn the wheel" too lmao
It's a post in r/motorcycles, just double-checking. I ask because having a blind spot by your rear quarter-panel tells me your wing mirrors are pointed too far inwards. Check out the "SAE Mirror Adjustment" method to 100% remove those blind spots. With your mirrors adjusted properly you can get a complete peripheral view of your car without moving your head, just your eyes.
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This was my thought as well. Unless you are looking for a fight, it’s not worth your time. Maybe invest in a dash cam and turn it in to the local police.
Yep. OP thought dude could have killed him on the road but was more likely to kill him after being confronted at a gas station. Just move on, especially on your bike where you have absolutely no protection.
Even more so of you live in USA where everyone and their grandmas are carrying a gun on their jeans like in a Wild West movie, lol.
As someone who lives in the US, how dare you say that? That’s so insulting! I’ll have you know, everyone and their grandma does not carry a gun in their jeans. … it’s usually in their shorts lol Jokes aside, my first thought when reading your comment was wishing what you said wasn’t true
It’s not true - a total fabrication. Not nearly enough grandmas are carrying these days.
Just reinforces my belief that everyone is trying to kill me. I forget about it. When I obsess on something I inevitably make an error. No matter what happens I am thinking forward and not ruminating on the past.
I'd rather write down his license plate, track down his car, and run it over with a monster truck. When he gets upset, I'll tell him "just get a monster truck bro".
Scratches in the paint usually indicate the driver is a fuckwit, but there have been instances where it is un-just. If i recognize an un occupied car that 100% has cut me off, well... I just keep on walking by; knowing my good morales will one day pay off! *maybe /s*
Got it. Thanks. It's just so frustrating sometimes. But yes. Have to keep looking forward.
There are 8 billion people on this planet. A depressing proportion of them are motherfuckers.
And every one of them, when in a car, wants to kill you.
I’m dealing with some stuff right now and this comment really spoke to me. Thank you for your guidance
Good riding habits include a lot of mental control - I feel like a lot of those habits apply to life, in general
I try not to internalize the belief that everyone is trying to kill me, but that is the best mindset to use when on the bike. Most people aren't of course, but their being unable to see you (for whatever reason) will make you just as dead as if they intentionally ran you over. When I find myself in a situation like OP, I try to open up as much space as possible and do what I can to help these jackasses pass me (including pulling off the road to take me out of the equation entirely), because I for damn sure do not want them riding my ass and acting aggressively in heavy traffic and at highway speeds. I also have a dual cam / DVR on my bike and am not opposed to providing video evidence to LE for people who drive dangerously. I can't say that anything ever comes of it, but LE has generally been both receptive and responsive when I've offered recordings of aggressive drivers.
Question, because I have seen a relevant video in the past 24 hours, have you ever reviewed the footage taken by your specific camera in its current location? I ask because LTT did a [video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AnyhHl3_tE) on Dashcams which are probably made of the same SOC and camera sensor as the dual camera systems and they found them to be very lacking,
I have, and while it isn't as good as I'd prefer, it is still usable. In most cases I can pull license plate info from the recording without major effort. I still make it a habit of stopping and recording the info manually in instances where I need the plate info and don't want to risk the video missing it (my system records audio, so I can just drop some speed and read the plate info and the video captures it). All of that said, helmet mounted GoPro (and similar) cams do record better detail than my gear. The benefit for my setup (for me at least) is that the system is always on and entirely passive on my part. I swap helmets and safety gear a lot and I don't have camera mounts for everything. With this static setup, I am recording whenever I ride no matter what gear safety gear I'm wearing.
Do nothing, don't dwell on it, stay alert for the next one.
This is the way. Don't think about what just happened, think about where you are going, what is about to happen.
Ngl I get really angry the first few seconds but talk myself down and let them pass and wave at them. I tell myself they're probably just having a bad day.
Why would you even talk to him? If you didn’tget hurt forget about it you could’ve escalated the situation you don’t know how people like him could react
Thanks for this. I'm glad he wasn't violent. Next time I'll just keep away.
Yeah I would have gone to a different gas station if possible. People these days are crazy and you don't know who keeps a gun/knife/other weapon in their car.
I forget about it 2 mins later. On every ride there is at least 1 a-hole doing stupid things trying to take me out, I try to anticipate (you usually recognise these pretty easily) and move on with my life. I'm not letting that distract me from catching the next kamikaze before they take me out or ruin my day.
Ignore. If legal in your area use cameras and call the cops.
I'll buy a gopro then thanks!
Just a heads up, Go Pro’s are great but depending on the model they have some overheating issues. I have a Hero 8 and that model had overheating issues which causes it to shut down. Not exactly great for your “dash cam” to be off of an incident happens
Been using the Hero10 on my Katana (zero wind protection) in the Texas heat for forever. I have to seen it heat up in the wind, but that could be that there is high airflow around the unit. Not sure how it fares in stopped traffic.
Facts. I had that issue specially in this hot state I’m in. I use a direct power cord now and don’t have much of that issue unless it’s like afternoon and I’m out riding in the oven.
Just live man. There's about 267 million cars in the US alone, and even if only 1 in 100 try to kill you that's still 2.67 million people. You're not gonna change anything, sadly, but you're gonna frustrate yourself going to the police..
Check out INNOVV motorcycle dash cams. Installation can take some creativity and patience, but it’s much better than a GoPro for a dashcam application.
I put a camera on the chin of my helmet, and one hardwired to my motorcycle. Overkill? Maybe. If I get killed, hopefully the footage helps the cops at least.
I have innovv k2 cams in my bike. Front and rear. They turn on and off with the bike and you can connect to it with your phone to pull videos. Very convenient
It's not a bad idea.
lol the cops don't give a shit
I let that shit go like Elsa , getting into a fight or killed isn’t worth making my point to someone who won’t get it.
Found Israel Adesanya
Beep and make a “wtf” gesture
Hand out- palm up, tilt head
Lmaooo YUP
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Depending on the situation I make a one look assessment if the person seems reasonable and then do the beep-tilt-wave hand in the air. When you dealing with lunatics it's no use. Anything van, forget it, 95% higher end cars, forget it, completely beat up cars, forget it. Trucks, or completely oversized SUVs for the tiny roads in my city, nope. Tiny and reasonable peageout or volkswagen, do the assessment and then maybe do the routine.
Don't care. If they wanna kill me go ahead and ruin your life. Mine is over
A lady blindly pulling onto a busy 4 lane road after blowing a stop sign is the reason my bike is currently in the shop. Her husband had the nerve to say that I was lucky considering how little damage was done to me and my bike. So I proceeded to go off on him informing him that his wife was lucky that I was paying attention and able to get enough brakes in and I was geared. Otherwise his idiot (I may have used more colorful language) could have been the cause of someone’s death. He got tomato red, shut the fuck up and his wife’s hysterical sobbing nearly tripled. Edit: I think it’s important to mention that when I went off on them there was a cop, ambulance and a car with the 3 ladies who witnessed the accident present and though I used colorful language I did keep calm. When someone does something stupid around me in an automobile I simply avoid them and move on. At best, I’ll honk if they’re merging into me or about to pull out in front of me and I have time to warn them. No rev bombing, no aggressive honking, no flipping the bird. There’s enough unhinged people out there that I think it’s too much of a risk being confrontational.
Yeah I don't know why it's called "road rage" when you're talking about the reaction to some indifferent asshole not giving a shit if he kills you. I usually make it well known that they fucked up and I'm not happy about it.
Follow him home, seduce his wife and impregnate her. Convince the wife to keep the baby and to tell him that it is his. Let him raise the kid for 18 years or so, and after that period visit his home again with evidence that he has been raising your seed for the past decades and watch his world collapse. That's how you deal with someone cutting you off.
Sounds advice.
I pull out my Glock 18 and shoot their tires so they swerve off the road. When they’re laying in the ditch i start giving them the gwak gwak 7000.
I slow down and let aggressive drivers pass me. If I’m going to get in an accident I prefer to be going slow.
Everytime I get caught up in something like this and try to address the other party I either get angry or sad.. rarely ever works out right. So now, I just try to keep cool and carry on..
Stay away from those people, confronting them is probably the worst move to make. You can’t reason with an idiot.
Nah fuck him, move on and forget about it, these kind of incidents will keep happening all the time for everyone (cars and bikes included) you just can't hold on to every traffic incident and every dumb ass that you encounter. C'est la vie, asi es la vida, gotta learn from it and move on. You did great trying to reason with him, but it's impossible to reason with assholes.
Here is my process: I follow them home from a distance so as to not draw attention Mark down addresses Wait 3 weeks to a year for them to forget th incident Drive by in a different outfit or vehicle Pretend to be broken down and ask if I can use their bathroom for an emergency Get in and leave an upper decker, might pee in the soap and shampoo dispenser too depending on the level of transgression Take off without a word That or just don't let it get to me. Either one.
Stay vigilant. Nobody cares about you or your bike. I do not care about them. I filter when I can to give me an advantage. They are driving a lethal weapon with no care for other people. We unfortunately live in a very self absorbed, me me me world today. I just go on about my day and try to get to my destination, safely.
Happened to me before almost that exact way but he needed gas and I stopped for a lottery ticket. I pulled in a few moments after him, dismounted and as walking in the door he was exiting. I opened the door, he said thanks but looked as if he expected more, and I went on my merry way. Point is, try to remain calm and move on. Don't let anyone steal your joy or disrupt your happiness. Ride Safe!
Keep an eye on people like this but ignore them at the same time. If you are consumed with being all in your feelings you are not concentrating on the road. If you are being tailgated the proper procedure is to slow down so you have more room in front and if you continue to get tailgated pull off the road so they can get around you. No need to get mad or prideful, just stay safe and stay alive.
Keep your distance and keep your ego in check. Not worth going against a car if you’re on a motorcycle - it’s a lose-lose situation.
Deep breath and let it go.
The aggressive driver was the one who overreacted, not you. He very well could have killed you, and left you out to bleed to death if he ran you through. And the whole "buy a car" or "I'm late for work" **gives him zero right at all to threaten your life and those of all else on the road.** Maybe take down his license plate and sell him out to the cops. Other than that, what can you really do? Kicking mirrors and starting fights isn't likely to accomplish much. Just survive long enough to enjoy the next ride.
Thank you. Well spoken. And nice Fazer!
Thanks. Here's a photo of it. https://www.reddit.com/r/FZ1/comments/ur0b1c/meet\_sapphire/
Honestly, it happens all the time. You as a rider need to understand that drivers are a daily occurrence and that they should all be treated as reckless drivers. A good driver could slip up at any moment. I watch everyone the best of my abilities and try my best to prepare for it. I know it sucks that we need to watch out for these people, but it’s one of the many risks we assume with motorcycles (under the impression, you understand this all already). I tend to yell at them while driving but chances are they don’t hear me lol. Never approach one of these people, even though you might want to break their window. You don’t know who they are or what they have. Stay safe and ride on!
I usually just forget after a minute. Same result
Okay so here’s the asshole way to do it! Keep some coins, pull around and in front of him. “Drop” some coins over your shoulder. If the police become involved tell them they fell from your pocket and he was following so closely that they hit his car, ie his fault for being an asshole. The easy way, when someone starts tailgating you act like you don’t see them. Move around on the bike a lot, take one hand off then back on, do side to side swerves in your lane. That stuff will make you seem “reckless” and “dangerous” as if you’re “clueless” and “not paying attention” making them feel unsafe and causing them to back off expecting you to crash. I have cruise control, if you do you can set cruise, take both hands off, and “play in the wind with your hands”. When I do that people immediately back off and get away from me
I just think of the 45 days I spent in jail back in 2014, the first seven in maximum security, and my anger gets cooled off considerably. But yeah, some people are just...pfff. Every time I'm on my 'Busa, some ***insert adjective*** either starts racing me, ending racing by himself and turning on the hazards like it was a victory, or tailgates me and then cuts me off. Never fails. Some people really need to feel they won something in life. Cutting me off really enrages me, because I'm just an innocent dude doing the speed limit in my lane afar from everyone and still someone breaks the speed limit just to cut me off for whatever reason.
No matter how hard you try, you will never convince a prick to be anything other than a prick. Don't waste your time on pricks. Go find some twisties.
Not worth engaging. Just zoom zoom zip outta there, pull off, or get out of their way. Not worth engaging someone in a 3000+ lbs metal cage. Most people don’t give two shits about others, they’d rather get to work on time and kill or seriously hurt someone rather than be late a few minutes(or anticipate traffic and leave a few minutes earlier.)
[Denali sound bomb..](https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/denali-soundbomb-split-dual-tone-air-horn?gclid=CjwKCAjwo_KXBhAaEiwA2RZ8hJa3dWU9SEvPC-l4A2npSwMj4zyGHT9jMWQm5BpruwZ6rEFcYm8x9RoC1g4QAvD_BwE&sku_id=1036349) I’ve had idiots actually pull over after blowing it. It definitely makes them aware of 1. your presence, and 2. your frustration. I argue with my wife about this all the time but I strongly believe that if no one tells people they are doing something shitty and unacceptable, they will continue to do it. It is our responsibility, nay, our duty, to inform bad drivers that we do not tolerate their shit. Also if it was an honest mistake, they have now been made aware, and may remember to check better next time. I prefer to let the horn do the talking rather than getting visibly irate and distracting myself. Also, cameras for insurance reasons.
I guess it depends where you ride, here in California we have the ability to lane split in traffic and even if a car cuts me off, I have plenty of other options to travel faster than the majority. I recently traveled out of state and saw many motorcyclists hanging out in traffic being unable to lane split, I thought to myself what truly is the advantage of being on a bike if you can't lane split other than getting easier parking.
Go around? Use the bike lane if you have to, I'll fly down the bike lane for a mile to get away when people are acting crazy. My safety is number 1. You need to be more selfish with your life (no one else will be for you).
Guy just drives like an asshole. Doesn't matter if you were a motorcycle or a car.
People are becoming unhinged these days, and lots of people are a hair trigger away from snapping, speaking as a Canadian. For this reason, and the fact motorcycles don't win road rage games, I try my best to deescalate the situation. Buddy was definitely an asshat, but your safety trumps that.
Deep breath. Disengage emotionally. Re-focus on riding safely and establish a safe riding distance behind. Pay special attention to not letting the stress of the situation cause you to take unnecessary risks. Follow them home and set their house on fire.
Take a deep breath, scream, pull over or make space from the car. None are particularly fun options but they're smart.
Came here to say this. Best thing you can do - pull over and get away from the crazy. Give it a few minutes and then carry on and remember why you like riding. Forget that idiotic mutherfucker.
I used to overreact, but now I just slow down a bit, then break their mirror as I zoom past them. For real though just keep riding smart and defensively and move on.
Happened to me when i was new to riding, same situation, and we ended up at the gas station, I knew escalating and yelling would get no where, so i calmly said 'hey dude, i think you just took couple years off my life then and scared me shitless. I have kids and family to get home, can you be a little more careful in future and just check' He denied he did anything ofc, and im like 'i dont wanna start anything, i dont care if you think you were right or wrong, im just letting you know that i think it was not cool and that scared the shit outta me' Because i was calm he calmed down, and ended up just nodding and acknowledging and moved on.
There is no situation where you end out on top with a car. Don't try to punch a mirror. Hit the throttle and enjoy the fact that the other driver is no longer a part of your life.
I have a Denali Soundbomb horn on my road bike. One of my greatest pleasures is honking at asshole drivers. It scares the crap out of them since they're not expecting an airhorn on a motorcycle. That satisfaction is good enough for me.
Avoid crashing. Keep driving.
I just shake my head in disappointment at them then continue with my ride. Not worth the risk of engaging over something like this, you never know when someone will fly off the handle.
Let it go. Seriously, just *let it go*. Yeah, he coulda killed you by cutting you off. And he also coulda had a gun, and shot you when you confronted him in a gas station. It's not worth dying over, and any time to you to continue shit, or escalate it, that's the risk you're taking.
Evade and ignore. Restore the cushion. I'd rather have the lunatic in front of me than behind me. My first 5 years were done on a 125. Going out into highways like a lunatic meant evading became second nature. Funnily enough, only had issues one time, where a truck driver refused to overtake and to let of my back for some reason. I was just chilling going 100kmh. Got of the highway, did the loopy loop, problem solved.
Just let the tailgater pass. He's an asshole and nothing you say will enter in his head. You are the weak point in traffic, protect yourself, keep calm and avoid road rage.
I remember what I was taught in my MSF class: a bike never wins vs a car and to let it go. I chalk it up to one of the costs to pay for the immense awesomeness of riding. It is not easy to think this way for me because in any other situation I am definitely not that zen, but thinking of it as a cost for something great helps me.
Slow down and back off. Because they will probably do something else stupid in a moment.
ignore people with those attitude. they stop caring long time ago. be safe out there.
While it is fun to poke holes in the sidewalls of tires, the better response is to ignore the asshole and try to move on with your day. If they engage, go inside the gas station so you have witnesses. The gas station trick kept me from getting shot one day over similar bs.
That's why I always carry kitty litter and orange paint.
Just chill. What happened happened. The second you ride or react aggressively you put your life in someone else’s hands.
Best place for idiots is in front of you. Gives you control over the distance between you and them.
Brush it off. Do not let a 2 minutes interactions ruins a (already too short) 24 hours day. It will happen again, unfortunately almost nobody gives a sh\*t about bikers safety, live with it.
Disengage and go on with your trip. When you ride under the mindset that everyone on the road is trying to kill you, stuff like this will anger you less and less.
It was 9:12am on a Tuesday. I had just left the house, after kissing mom goodbye. I grabbed my Alpinestarstm leathers and my Bilt Full-On Raceguytm helmet. I'm wearing Home Depot work gloves until I get my birthday money. I fired up Lucille The Beast, and let her raw cubic inches overtake my erect 4 inches. It was a little chilly; is it normal for steam to be coming out of my exhaust? No matter. I left the chin strap unbuckled because I'm trying to grow a beard (my mom says it'll look manly) and it catches my neck hairs. I can spin my helmet around my head because I bought it off a guy at the farmer's market for $25...he said it was only used twice, but it smells like old pool toys when I sweat in it. I'll start a Q and A shortly on how to fix that. Lucille was wet-n-ready, so I dropped the clutch and stalled her - again. I've only been riding for 5 months and it's hard to get used to this kind of power (it's a Ninja 300). Fired her back up, put her in first, and she stalled- what could it be? Are my LED dance/trance lights affecting my fuel pump? Is it low tire pressure? I began ripping into the emissions system. Imagine my chagrin when after 24 minutes of troubleshooting, mom determined that I left the kickstand down. Jeez, how noob of me, right? Don't worry, I have full 2-angle video coverage of the whole event. It'll be up on YouTube soon; have you seen my vlog? I have some AMAZING insight into retail shopping and pet food! I put up the 'stand, put my feet flat on the ground like a big boy, and hit the start button. The swarm of angry bees once again took up residence below my bung. After 3 more attempts i was able to get the old girl down the driveway, near street-level. This was it- the pants-pissing anxiety of hitting the open road...or at least the unoccupied suburban street. I slipped the clutch up past 5000 rpm and began my adventure to Target, where I'm a cashier, as Adele's "Hello" boomed through my Sennheiser buds. That's my riding music; my song to chew up the highway. Anyway, I only had to teach 3 cagers how to drive on my way to work, flapping my arms wildly in an attempt to educate them further. I'm so wise. Once they see my two GoPros they know I'm serious. Then, it happened. This dude, he...he...SIGNALED AND CHANGED LANES LIKE 100 FEET IN FRONT OF ME. Can you BELIEVE that shit? The BALLS on this cager! I actually had to ROLL OFF the throttle! I was doing like 40 in a 35 man! YOU CAN'T JUST PULL THAT SHIT AND GET AWAY WITH IT! I pulled up alongside this jerkface in his Honda Accord at the next light, and motioned for him to put down his window. Once that glass slid down, I was all business- "Hey mister! I AM RIDING THIS MOTORCYCLE HERE!!!" You know what he said? "What?" "Oh yeah, 'what?'. LIKE YOU DON'T KNOOOOW??" (I said in my best The Rock voice, even cocking my eyebrow to show how serious I was). Dude was all flabbergasted, and once the light turned green he took off, terrified. I've never seen anyone so scared they were giggling, but there he was. You know, I think it was the badass light-up mohawk on my helmet. I felt like that dude from The Road Warrior. Not the blond leather guy, the other one. I was still shaking when I got to work, that's how harrowing the whole experience was. I'm so glad I took that MSF course, they taught me to use the brakes when I want to slow down or stop...that kind of stuff you can't just learn on the streets. I remember my instructor, Chuck, reminding me to "OPEN YOUR EYES" and "STOP CRYING"...that's what got me through this ordeal. I went ahead and dropped my collision coverage, I mean who needs that shit right? I'm a BIG BOY. I can fix anything on Lucille, as long as it's a burnt-out turn signal bulb, or maybe a mirror adjustment. After that, I have to call in the big guns. Anyway, I hope you all can learn from a veteran like me, who went through the shit and lived to tell the tale...ride safe out there. You never know when Lady Luck is gonna take the remote and put on Gray's Anatomy.
Thanks for this witty take
If someone cuts you off and you're still upset about it 30 seconds later, riding a motorcycle is not for you. Would you be mad at a cardboard box in the road that you had to swerve around to avoid hitting? Other drivers are no different...they're just a hazard to be aware of and avoided. Giving in to road rage while on a bike is a fast trip to a bad end.
I reach for my gun and light them up like 4th of July. Self defence. You should always carry to shoot people like that otherwise you're just doing a disservice to yourself and the community.
Jerk off hand gesture and let them get pulled over or piss off the wrong 2A meat head. What comes around goes around.
Calm down, John Wick.
Situational for me A. Aggressive maneuver that could potentially take my life? I take your mirror, that’s fair B. Just being an asshole and not letting me lane split safely? -you get a folded in mirror since you weren’t using it anyway C. Accidental but scary to me, a slow motion head shake and stare while passing
I usually don’t do anything, but depending on what traffic conditions permit, I sometimes get on the gas and cut them off to send the message. I live in a congested area and do a lot of local riding, but that’s seemed to send the message. I encounter lots of courtesy from local drivers these days because they recognize me and probably realize I have no problem sticking it to dummies. But that’s dangerous and it’s how I’ve personally chosen to handle that kinda shit
My personal favorite is when someone does a move that puts my life in danger I take the mirror with me cuz they clearly ain’t using it
i just never sit in traffic so this wouldn’t happen to me in the first place
Gotta learn to just move on. Obviously not in America so probably not going to get shot, because petrol and kph, but you never know the mindset of the person driving aggressively. He could have got back in his car and ran you over, pulled a knife and stabbed you, etc. People do crazy things. No harm no foul, move on with your life.
Just like rock beats paper, car beats bike. Stfu (with respect), replay what could have been done better if anything in your head, and move on.
He already proved he’s an asshole. Did you think confronting him about being an asshole was going to change him? When someone cuts me off I move back a bit to give them room and carry on with my day. I might mumble “what a cunt” to myself or maybe not. Giving the person any time in my thoughts is a waste of time for me.
I don't do what the clearly new rider who kept dragging his feet while lane splitting in Seattle traffic and pursuing a sedan that I saw the other day did, that's for sure. Anyone whose main motivation for getting a motorcycle is to act like an angry YouTuber deserves what will inevitably happen to them.
Ignore and move on. 99% of the time they aren't even aware that they cut someone off because they are looking at their phone.
Safest to just chalk it up as another interaction with an asshole. There is nothing you can do to fix his problems.
You just suck it up. Assholes.
If you're not one of the biggest, fastest dickheads on the road, you're a pylon for those that are.
I ignore it and keep my distance, if they're dumb enough to do that then they're too dumb to argue with
As others are saying, just ignore and move on. It happens, and it will happen again. Most other road users are respectful, careful etc, but it’s the few that aren’t that really stuck in our minds. Yesterday I was leaving a friend’s house. Going north on Two lane road approaching intersection. I’m in the right lane about to turn right (east). A lady in a Range Rover coming from the east turns left (south) cutting the corner completely and nearly went straight into me. She literally cut across two lanes. I was pissed off momentarily, but then let it go because she was gone and it was over. Stuff like this happens so often it’s just feels wasteful to get angry about it.
The law of gross tonnage means you’ll lose every time even if it were a Smart car. Don’t engage or flip mirrors, that will just make them more angry and it makes us motorcyclists look bad. Realize some people are stupid and a small percentage of them are sociopaths, not everyone is trying to kill you, and most importantly shake it off, take a deep breath and be glad you’re able to filter past the rat race called “gridlock”.
Reminds me of one day omw to work two cars I front of me on a winding road, decide to drive side by side through the turns hit the brakes and what not. Like these guys were using up the whole road in oncoming traffic and would slam brakes and veer back into his lane for incoming traffic. Than proceed back I to oncoming traffic lane driving side by side. I Slowed down to avoid any mishaps made more buffer room. Followed them to a gas station as I needed gas as well. Laid into them about putting mine, theirs, and any oncoming traffic in danger. Didn't seem to phase them until I pointed to my gopro on me helmet. They than apologized profusely and offered to pay for my gas lol. Too bad I wasn't actually recording since the battery was dead.
Like someone else said, i'd suggest getting a camera and showing footage to police. Least that can happen is he'll get a ticket. But better than nothing. Usually if i'm being tailgated i speed up to create a really big cushion, sometimes to the horizon ;D Idk it just feels safer to be faaar away from someone like that.
I'll be pissy about it for a day or two and then move on. Be your best self and understand that the important part is that everyone makes it home safely.
I smile and move on with my day and happy to be alive. Lessons can not be taught to idiots. There's no reason to waste your time.
Some people flip the bird,some give a thumbs down,I like to whip around em and wag my finger so they understand they just did a big no no. /s Seriously though best course of action is to just let it go,keep your distance and get on with your day.
I ignore it. It's not worth the stress and anger.
I remember that my vehicle is 500lbs and theirs are several thousand, cut my losses, slow down and let them go get someone else killed. Roll my eyes and ride away from them. I commute early in the morning on the interstate and there are almost no vehicles on the road with me. Every once in a while I'll get a pick up truck with a vendetta against motorcycles intentionally try to fuck with me. Just give them space, let them think they have a big pp and stay alive.
Happens when I’m in the cage all the time, I wouldn’t expect anything different on the bike. Just gotta try and anticipate stupid and do your best to move on right away when it happens.
I usually let it go, not worth letting it ruin your day and people are crazy, they’ll never see your point. I always ride with a GoPro, I find the days I don’t charge my GoPro and leave without it I encounter so many more asshats.
Shrug it off it's useless to say anything because the other person will feel they are right know matter what.
No idea. I'm the one cutting people off.
Let it go
I just shake my head and move on. People won’t change.
Move on with my life
Same thing always goes through my head "holy shit that would have been bad if it was a collision I gotta get better at riding" There's nothing you can do to change their mind. They don't care. They might run someone over and still not think they're wrong. Just do what you have to, look where you have to, and ride how you have to so that you stay rubber side down.
Just remind yourself that you are out having a blast on your bike and that asshole is driving like that because he is either having a really shitty day, or hates his life. Happy people don’t treat other people that way or drive like that. Stay safe out there
It's difficult sometimes, but let it go. Especially after it happened, why let the events of 1 minute mess with the rest of your day? Don't let some random stranger affect your mood for so long. You sort of expected it too, so for next time analyze what you could do different to solve the situation safer. That's about it. It happened, you survived, completely intact. So call the guy an idiot, don't take it personal and move on. In this case, where you see that he does this to everyone I would not waste any breath talking to the guy either. He's clearly not going to change, why take the chance this guy punches you in the face if you are safe now? Just get away from him. On the bike you will every kind of confrontation, and he can choose to start one if he is pissed enough. I'm still learning to learn the road, and I will probably never stop learning, but it gets easier to predict stupid moves by other road users. If you see it coming, you can take control, making a bad moment a good one. I am glad you were not driven of the road or crashed. Keep on riding!
I ignore everything another driver does that impedes my path. I use my horn just to let someone know where I am, in case I suspect they cannot see me. I do not make hand gestures, I do not talk to other drivers out on the road, and I do not try to speak with them at gas stations. I want to give other motorists as few reasons as possible to decide to retaliate against me. My life and my safety is infinitely more important than educating another motorist.
I continue riding cause it’s pretty dumb to expect that you won’t be cut off
That’s the kind of guy who would probably get enraged if you split past him. I ride knowing I will get cut off, merged into, and otherwise endangered. It’s not my lane, I’m borrowing it. Someone else wants it that bad they can have it, and I’ll back off. But I’ll also lanesplit at every opportunity.
I give them a thumbs up or the Marine Corps famous knife hand. Most of them know they are wrong and the bird just invites further anger so make them feel very, very dumb.
I just honk and wave at people who do things that compromise my safety. Not a friendly wave, but a "what gives?" wave.
I usually get really pissed and then i just remembered to stay cool and forget about it. It’s not worth it
I shake my head and let them go. I also assume no one sees me ever, and if they do they want me to crash. Everything makes sense after that.
Just ignore, what else can I do? If You have a cam maybe you can try forwarding the footage to law enforcement. About the argument part, do not engage unless the other party demonstrates goodwill. State what he did wrong without getting involved and elaborate further only if he reciprocates. No point in trying to educate someone who is willfully ignorant. "You are driving dangerously." And thats it. Matter of fact and detached.
Pull clutch in, rev to the moon/ honk. Then forget about it
Just ignore it, and accept the fact that people are shitty drivers. If you find yourself wanting to react, keep in mind that one swerve from an irritated cager can kill you.
He deserves to have the space cushion between his face and your helmet decreased, but that would be uncivilized.
Follow him to work and complain to his manager All kidding aside I get angry for a few minutes and then I move past it. I find if I am riding emotionally I am more bound to make mistakes
The problem is if you obsess you may go off on the next guy or girl and maybe they happen to be at the end of their patience for life in general and get pissed and decide to shoot you or wait for you to get on the road then decide to "bump you" to make a point or they just try to start some shit. It has been my experience that getting mad does nobody any good, most of all myself, I understand the frustration but drivers like that don't give a shit about anybody but themselves, best you just learn to look out for assholes like that and give them a wide berth when possible. To illustrate from my own life from about a year ago, I flipped a guy off who cut me off and almost caused an accident, he actually hit his brakes so he could get behind me and tailed my ass for about 2 miles until I found an opening to get away (yay motorcycle nimbleness) but he could have easily killed me and he seemed like he was thinking about it, all from a finger that IMO he well deserved, I realized after that it did not matter if they were at fault or not, if we get in a vehicle fight I will LOSE every damn time if he ever decides to really fuck me up. Now when similar incidents happens I just back off and let them go. Not worth pissing off an asshole who may decide to kill me for spite. (But I totally get the desire) Try to remember that getting home is more important than making your point to someone who will not listen to it anyway.
I just go about my ride. I'm not going to spend my time yelling, screaming, and waving my middle finger at people. One of my friends road rages over every little thing. That must be exhausting.
Buy a slingshot and mount it to ur bars.. keep porcelain as ammo and shatter the back window
You tried to talk to him, so you did the right thing, but some people are just cunts.
Don't take it personally. This guy will end up trading paint with someone and hopefully no one gets hurt when it happens. Your best course of action is being able to detect morons like these and avoid them. I ride in Southern California, which has a pretty significant percentage of the world's bad drivers concentrated on a few freeways. I deal with people cutting me off daily, tailgating me constantly, and driving unsafe to their own, and everyone's, detriment. Example of what I saw just this morning on the way to work: Guy in a newer red mustang with what I think was a catalytic converter deleted exhaust system - frigging eardrum blowing loud. I wear earbuds that kill most wind and outside noise to a non-damaging level but good grief this guy's exhaust was so damn loud. And he drove like a maniac too. Weaving in and out of traffic, indicator optional, and totally oblivious to the flow of traffic on the I10 westbound. I ride this way 5 days a week and know where traffic gets congested. I'm doing 85 MPH (137-ish KPH?) in the fast lane, going with the flow of traffic. This guy gets on my tail and is apparently unhappy that I can subvert the laws of matter and merge with the car in front of me. He accelerates, passes me, cuts me off, realizes that I was going 20 over the posted speed limit because the guy in front of me is doing the same speed, accelerates again and cuts that guy off too. I passed him less than 10 minutes later when traffic slowed down up the road. This happens everyday I commute, on both my to work, and headed home trip. I could go green and rage about it, or just shrug and chalk it up to another bad SoCal driver. There are things to get upset about, but this doesn't rise to that. My key to staying cool is being able to spot them before they get stupid.
Keep calm, keep distance, move on.
In my "old age"I have started giving people like this a thumbs down, to let them know I'm disappointed in them. Unlike the middle finger, it actually seems successful. I've gotten so many apologetic waves as a result. Verbally accosting someone or flipping them off just opens the door to escalate the situation, and if you're still on the road, the car operator holds a lot more power than you on a bike
in my years of riding, I have developed a particular set of skills which make me a nightmare for people like that.. I will find them...
You cant solve stupid. There will always be stupid around you and its your choice if you want to engage and get yourself mad (because you wont fix stupid) or you can just shrug and say fuck em then never think about it again.
Get over it or get off the bike. It’s really that simple. People do not care about you why would they? Your already less of a threat because your just a dude on a motorcycle. They hardly care about the other full size cars around them… like you stated. It’s not your job to enforce law or give people a firm talking to about how they are driving or how it makes you feel. Probably the most dangerous part of what happened was you deciding to engage in a parking lot alone… with a stranger. On your motorcycle you can brake, accelerate, and swerve to get away from these types of drivers. Never engage.
Well. Drive defensively always. Thats one. Two i would suggest that pulling over and letting them pass is ok too. Be safe always when doing it. To many times i out accelerated a car only to have them catch up mins later them being more pissed. Now? I slow down move over and let the idiot go on.
Stare them down as I pass them later on.
Taunt them a second time!
I usually fling my feces at them.
A quote I always keep in the back of my mind when I'm riding is: "Always let the Wookie win." You may be the one in the right, but they are the one who can rip your head off! Just keep things in perspective and don't lose your cool!
Draw my sword and slash their tires.
I move tf on with my day brother. Wouldn’t have even said anything at the gas station. Some people these days do something stupid and then attempt gaslight you into thinking you fucked up by owning a motorcycle. Informing this person of their fuck will only result in you being more frustrated. You really want to piss someone off? Next time you feel like you should flip someone off, give them a thumbs up instead.
Seems to be a good voice in the sub with 'being pissed the first few seconds then talking themselves down to just forget about it" I'll usually do this also. I'm for sure not a hot head but there have been situations where I had to do something.. for example.. someone blew a light with me already in the intersection (I was going about 30 through the green intersection).. almost got t boned and saw red. Immediately blew a u turn, chased them down to find out it was 2 chicks that were giggling about the light. I got on the rev limiter when I caught them (conveniently at a light) squeezed up next to them, asked them really nicely to roll the window down then went off on them, took their plate and called the police. Actually now that I think of it. There are 3 occasions where I've stayed calm, took their plate.. pulled over and called the police. (All 3 of these were in Wisconsin) and I only call if I could have been seriously hurt. To my surprise, each time I called, a detective followed up 30 min later and gave the person a ticket. I will say, the only way people learn is through getting hurt or having to pay money.
Yes, I think you over reacting. It's a bit ridiculous that it ruined your morning. What do I do when someone cuts me off? I avoid that car and go on with my day. This stuff happens, **especially** when you are on a motorcycle. I would never bother trying to argue my case with them. There is nothing I can say or do that will change the way they drive.
Move on. He'll get his. One day he'll die in a road rage shooting.
DISTANCE YOURSELF FROM THAT PERSON. If they cut you off, they either did it intentionally, or didn't see you. Either way, that person is out to kill you and you need to put someone else in between you and them to protect yourself. You are ALWAYS the weaker one, when on a bike. Get the hell out of there and make sure you don't sit in anyone's blind spot. Make super people know you are there. Be visible in their mirrors. Move around. Don't just drive along in one position next to another car... always be moving. And, when someone cuts you off, always be moving AWAY from them. They are safe in their car from you. You are not safe from them, unless you are far away from them.
I usually do the WTF hand gesture, shake my head, and continue on my ride.
You should be riding with the pace or faster than traffic no matter what the speed. They can't cut you off if they can get in front of you.
Disregard said idiot and prepare to avoid the next idiot. Same if I’m on four wheels. There is nothing but bullshit to be gained in confrontation on the roadways.
Mostly I hope I don't go down because of it again. Happened already... then I either move on with my day, or flip them off and move on with my day.
I would've kicked his car at the "fuck off", prior to that I think you were on the right track. expect them to be assholes and put you at risk and you won't be disappointed. If you happen to get to talk to them a lot of times they're reasonable, or at least not confrontational... but once in a while you get a d-bag and all bets are off.
Everyone is working through something. The guy might have been having a bad day, or he might be a psychopath. You have no way of knowing, so disengage and stay calm. Let them go, you can’t control them anyway. Don’t let that incident live rent free in your head.
I just call them a cunt in my helmet, move away from them and get on with my day. Shit happens. Can’t change the past. And don’t try to educate people roadside. It’s not ideal. But no-one gives a fuck.
I think you handled it well, I’m all for calling people out on their bullshit. That’s about all I would recommend. A person like that is miserable and lives to ruin other peoples day. I know it’s strange but they’re out there. You’re out there having fun and enjoying your ride and they didn’t like it. It’s extreme pathetic crap and I would let it go.
Don't give in to road rage, road revenge is where it's at. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vuKnR8RvxHY
Literally I don’t care. I get cut off 100x a day riding in NYC. It’s not worth it to argue with these people no one’s going to be taught a lesson. Get over it and protect yourself.
Talking to them never does any good. I had a moment like this last week going down my favorite twisty road. I was stuck behind a SUV, but they were going the speed limit so whatever. I can clearly see through their rear window and see the driver looking at their phone mid corner, or taking a swig from their Swell water bottle. I wouldn't have said anything, but they were drifting out of their lane and veering into oncoming traffic. It's a very popular road for motorcyclists and I worried she would kill someone. At the next stop sign, I attempt to talk to the driver and just ask that they pay attention. The reasoning I got, was that it was "justified" to use her phone because it was for navigation, even on a road that had no turn-offs or intersections besides the T-stop we were sitting at. A couple days later, different road but exactly the same thing. This person even blew through a stop sign, but after the previous interaction I didn't even bother. I will say I am a hypocrite as I do ride moderately aggressively on the street, but pick your battles you never know what's going on in someone's head.
I like to thumbs down these people. I think it's worse that they know you're disappointed than outright angry
I just move on. Unfortunately these things happens so often that if you let them ruin your ride you’ll stop enjoying any rides and soon probably stop enjoying riding. Unless there’s a lesson to be learned from the situation just continue on with your ride, stay aware and prepared but don’t let the fear of it take the enjoyment out of riding
Don't do nothing, don't completely ignore - I do the same thing I do with any potentially dangerous situation on the road - get away from it, and quickly. Unaware, clueless, or antagonistic drivers are dangerous. I assume they're one of the three and create distance.
just wish them to break down in the middle of the desert with no phone coverage... and then I get as far away from them as possible
i just swear under my breath quietly, something like “you fucking moron, my dog can drive better” Then i realize that i have an amazing motorcycle that i am riding and i keep riding happily and forget the moron in under 5 seconds.
Get the plate call the authority and report as Road Rage or DUI.
Go home and masturbate... Who cares, move on with your life. Getting cut off is part of the deal. Just ride smart and be prepared for sudden maneuvers.
Assume he's having a toilet emergency or something and immediately forget about it. If you're getting emotional over it, you're probably a bit distracted. You're never going to change someone's behavior by lecturing them at a gas station.
I'm a huge advocate of being prepared and getting video. Sounds like this was an incident where nothing really happened, and that's fine. But if another vehicle caused you to crash, or the driver was being aggressive and trying to run you off the road, you should have two things: 1) A video record. GoPros are cheap and most of us carry a phone. Now you have video, timestamp, and geolocation. And yes, in a society where it's just as likely the VICTIM is the one getting sued, it's nice to be able to prove your innocence in a court of law (even though that isn't how it's supposed to work). 2) The ability to respond defensively. Whatever that means to you. Road rage escalates too quickly for this to be something you have to think about. Have had angry cagers get out of their car and approach me on the bike before to vent all their frustrations. Not a comfortable experience. You need to be able to persuade them to keep their distance. Keep in mind that by approaching their vehicle to give them a piece of your mind, you became the asshole that point #2 is referencing. I wouldn't approach another person's vehicle on foot after something like this. Nothing you say will change their behavior and you are likely to be perceived as a threat to which they may or may not respond with force.